Amy stayed close to Sara, then peeked out around her legs. “I like it.”
Marissa laughed. “Well, good.” Her attention went back to Sara. “Are you feeling more at home here?”
“I am, but that’s what I’d like to talk to you about. First, let me ask if I’m tying you up. I don’t want to keep you from picking up your son.”
“I often work late, but now and then, Jase will give me a whole afternoon off. It evens out. He had new orders come in tonight that I had to organize and give to the account manager.”
Sara took a few folded sheets of paper and crayons from her purse. “Do you mind if Amy sits on the floor to draw?”
“She doesn’t have to sit on the floor. Come here, pumpkin. Sit up here at my desk.” She took hold of a pump at the side of the chair and gave it a few squeezes. The chair rose a few inches, making it easier for Amy to draw. “Okay, there?”
Amy nodded.
Marissa motioned Sara toward the file cabinets. “What can I do for you?”
“The cottage is wonderful,” Sara assured her quickly. “Jase has been welcoming. But I don’t want to take advantage of living here. The problem is, there could be a delay with the insurance money on the house.”
“Red tape?”
Marissa’s question was an honest one. She felt more like a friend than a stranger. Should she be honest with her?
“You look troubled about something,” Marissa noticed.
She was obviously perceptive, too. “I am. The insurance company is investigating the fire because I had a lot of debt.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“Mine was substantial, so substantial I believe they think I set the fire.”
“Oh, no! You can’t be serious.”
“I am. No one knows about this besides Jase, so I’d appreciate it if you could keep it a secret.”
“Of course, I can. What do you need from me?”
“I wondered if you know the best place to look for rental properties. I’d even consider a couple of rooms in someone’s house. I want to keep the cost as low as I can. My main problem is moving Amy again. She really is settling in and likes it here. What would you do if it were you and Jordan?”
“If it were me and Jordan, I think I’d stay as long as I could. The vineyard is a beautiful place for Amy to play...a beautiful place to get your footing again. I’m sure Jase doesn’t mind your being here.”
“I don’t know.”
Marissa swept her hair back over her shoulder and studied Sara. “He seemed welcoming when you moved in. Besides, when a man and woman who have chemistry are in the same room, anyone can tell.”
“Oh, no! There’s nothing going on between us. My mind was on Amy and—”
“Tell me you didn’t see how fine Jase looked as he moved in that sofa. Tell me you didn’t notice how gray his eyes are, how his hair falls over his brow, that there’s still that wanderlust element around him that makes a girl want to just run away with him.”
“Are you thinking of running away with him?” Sara asked, partly as a defense, partly because she wanted to know.
“No, he’s not my type. I’m attracted to the bad boys, the ones who love ’em and leave ’em.”
Taking a stab in the dark, Sara guessed, “Jordan’s father was one of those?”
After a brief hesitation, Marissa nodded. “He absolutely was, and it wasn’t like I didn’t know what I was getting into. I just wasn’t careful enough.”
“I’m trying to be careful,” Sara assured her. “I have to, for Amy’s sake. Chemistry is fine, but when there’s no future beyond it—”
“You don’t have to tell me about that. I know. You have to be Amy’s future, and I have to be Jordan’s. But there is another side to that. Sometimes we want to be independent women and accept no help from anyone else. That just makes our lives harder. The Mommy Club found me my position here with Jase. It was a gift from heaven because I could get insurance benefits from working here in order to pay my bills when Jordan was born. At first it seemed too good to be true. But Jase had looked at my high school transcript. He liked what he saw. My boss at the restaurant where I was waitressing gave me a good recommendation. He said I was a hard worker, so Jase decided to take a chance on me. It was a gift I accepted. You should consider the cottage a gift you should accept, too. You’ll know when the time’s right to leave.”
“I owe The Mommy Club so much. Is there anything I can do now to start paying them back?”
“Sure. You can help out at the food drive on Saturday.”